Eateries in crosshairs
Authorities in Knysna are making headway in efforts to protect the ecological health of South Africa’s number one estuary in Knysna, and are particularly focused on eateries as possible polluters.
Although the authorities are pleased to announce that the E. coli levels continue to wane and the estuary's health continues to improve, one of the lingering issues and points of concern remains the levels of oil and grease released into the water treatment works. The district’s inspections have led to possible polluters closer to lower parts of the CBD. Earlier in the year, investigations were conducted at eateries in that vicinity and now authorities are confident further samples will eventually reveal polluters.
Residents and business are therefore requested to not dispose of oil and grease in main drains or storm-water systems. Any establishments serving food should ensure they have the proper fat traps and disposal methods in place. Look out for ways of disposing fats in a campaign to be rolled out by the municipality at the end of November 2019.
Water samples taken by SA National Parks (Sanparks) in the Knysna Estuary’s deepwater channels are compliant with the department of water affairs’ guideline on E. coli levels for recreational areas. "The results indicate that the pollution is localised to certain hot spots affecting the estuary and not affecting the main deepwater channels," said Sanparks Knysna manager Megan Taplin.
Of the 15 sites monitored, four have a history of noncompliance including the Bongani channel, Long Street and the Train Station culverts, which are still noncompliant. The Queen Street culvert showed a decline in E. coli levels in water samples taken on 15 October 2019.
Now the Garden Route District and Knysna municipalities will investigate the Long Street site further. "We will take water samples and walk the system to identify the exact problematic spot," stated director of technical services for Knysna Municipality, Pravir Hariparsad.
The municipality has committed resources to deal with any arising incident that may threaten the ecological health of the estuary. "We rely on residents reporting incidents via our app or customer services after hours," said Hariparsad.
Positive interventions to reduce the amount of solid waste entering the estuary include the reintroduction of Working for the Coast teams to pick up litter around the estuary as well as culverts in the CBD and the Bongani river system. This will ensure regular cleanups to supplement the work done by the municipality in upstream areas and the CBD.
In a bid to encourage environmentally responsible estuary use, Sanparks has introduced new incentives for environmentally friendly vessels, with discounts available on vessel permits for four-stroke engines. Tariffs for nonmotorised vessels are already discounted from last year’s tariffs. Blockages in manholes can be reported to the municipality’s hotline 044 302 6331 (office hours) and also an app (knysna. comunity.me). –